Chapter 159 Cold and Aloof Eyebrows

The minibus finally stopped at the county's bus station.

Chen Fanglan woke up Shen Xuewei and got out of the car with her.

The two hailed a motorcycle by the roadside, and the driver took them to the old building that Shen Xuewei had seen before.

After paying for the ride, Chen Fanglan beckoned Shen Xuewei into the old building.

She rented a room on the fifth floor, where there were six households on each floor.

She's usually busy with work and doesn't talk to her neighbors much. If she happens to bump into them, she'll just give them a perfunctory greeting.

Standing in front of room 503, she took out her key and opened the door.

He went inside to change his shoes, and then took out a pair of slippers for Shen Xuewei.

"Change into your slippers first. I'm going to work in a bit, I'll take you out for lunch when I get back. Just stay home and don't go anywhere!"

Shen Xuewei had only been to Luli County a few times and was unfamiliar with the place. If she got lost or something happened to her, she would be extremely worried.

Having just arrived, Shen Xuewei naturally stayed put and behaved herself.

She blinked, looking at Chen Fanglan with an innocent expression.

"Auntie, I understand. Don't worry, I won't go out unnecessarily."

Chen Fanglan believed her and went to the bathroom to shower, change clothes, and get ready before going out.

Before leaving, he paused and said, "You don't need to sleep on the sofa during the day; you can sleep on my bed, but not at night."

She wants to sleep alone at night and doesn't want anyone else to squeeze in with her.

Shen Xuewei sat on the sofa and loudly replied, "Okay."

Chen Fanglan slammed the door shut, hurried downstairs in her high heels, and rushed off to work.

Shen Xuewei sat on the sofa to rest for a while, when she heard a rumbling sound in her stomach.

She opened her schoolbag, took out the small steamed buns that had gone cold and were flattened, and ate them in small bites.

After finishing her meal, she went to the kitchen to get some water, boiled it, and drank some of the boiled water.

She looked out the window at the world.

I stood blankly by the window for a while, and since I had nothing to do, I didn't want to do my homework for the time being.

She found herself somewhat unaccustomed to this rare free time.

She sighed, returned to the sofa, and slowly lay down, deciding to take another nap.

Two hours later, Shen Xuewei, who had taken another nap, stretched and felt completely refreshed.

She took out the learning machine and played two or three simple games that came with it to pass the time.

It was past noon when the sound of high heels walking grew closer and closer.

Shen Xuewei knew that it was time for her aunt to take a lunch break.

She put the learning machine away, walked a few steps quickly, and took the initiative to open the door.

"Auntie, you're back!"

Chen Fanglan walked in, panting, and sat down heavily on the sofa.

"I'll rest for a while, then I'll take you out to eat."

Shen Xuewei nodded obediently, then went to the kitchen and poured her a glass of cooled boiled water.

"Auntie, have some water."

Chen Fanglan took it, tilted her head back and gulped it down in one go, finally feeling less hot.

Shen Xuewei then asked her about her situation, "Auntie, you start work at nine in the morning and have a break at 12:30 at noon, right?"

Chen Fanglan nodded first, then looked at her and asked, "Why are you asking this?"

Shen Xuewei said earnestly, "Didn't I tell you? I'm coming to stay with you this summer, so I'll take care of all your meals. I'll cook according to the schedule so you'll have something to eat when you get home from get off work."

Chen Fanglan looked at her for a long time, then suddenly pulled her down and made her sit next to her.

She sighed deeply and said earnestly, "Weiwei, you're not even twelve years old yet. Sometimes it's okay to be a little naughty and lively. You don't have to be so obedient and sensible. A child who is too sensible... will suffer."

Shen Xuewei has been sent to the Chen family for more than five years, and the Chen family treats Shen Xuewei with both trust and affection.

However, I also feel sorry for this child, who showed a well-behaved and ingratiating side so early on.

She rarely goes home throughout the year, and the total time she spends with Shen Xuewei each year is less than a month.

But every time I go home, the most common compliment I hear from my parents about this child is just two words.

sensible.

Is being sensible really a good thing?

In Chen Fanglan's eyes, being sensible means being taken advantage of.

When I first met Shen Xuewei, she was a thin but fair-skinned girl.

Although Shen Xuewei looks much stronger now than she did back then.

However, the child's dark skin and the calluses on his hands that she had touched earlier indicated that his life in the Chen family over the years had not been very good.

According to my parents, whenever Weiwei comes home on weekends, she works in the fields with them and helps with housework.

Chen Fanglan recalled her eleven or twelve-year-old self, who was far less diligent than Shen Xuewei.

The Chen family had too many children, a total of six.

Just as fingers are of different lengths, it is inevitable that it will be difficult to treat all children equally with so many children.

My eldest brother is the eldest son in the family. He excels in everything and is the most valued member of the family. My parents also value him the most and devote most of their energy to him.

The eldest sister was the first girl in the family. She had a good relationship with her eldest brother, and her parents liked her too.

As for herself, she and Chen Fangyang are twins, a boy and a girl. Although they are not as good as their older siblings, their parents treat them well.

My younger brother was born in the same year my older brother died.

His birth led his parents to stubbornly believe that he was the reincarnation of his older brother, so he never lacked attention from a young age.

So who is the child who suffers the most in the family?

Chen Fanglan thought of her second sister, Chen Fangli, and looking at Shen Xuewei in front of her, she vaguely felt that the two were somewhat similar.

When her second sister was Shen Xuewei's age, she was just like Shen Xuewei.

She didn't talk much and didn't receive much attention from her family, but among her siblings, she was the one who did the most housework.

At the same time, she was also the least favored one.

Her second sister had actually been quite good to her since childhood, but precisely because of this, Chen Fanglan had taken advantage of her quite a bit before.

However, she considers herself different from her older sister, who only takes advantage of others.

She still has a conscience, relatively speaking.

In recent years, as I've become more financially capable, I've bought many things for my second sister and De'an.

Thinking of Chen Fangmin, Chen Fanglan suddenly realized that Shen Xuewei had never once mentioned her parents in all the years she had been in the Chen family.

Thinking of how Shen Xuewei and her second sister were both so sensible, she couldn't help but ask:

"Weiwei, when you lived with your parents, were they good to you?"

When her parents were mentioned, Shen Xuewei's expression gradually turned cold and distant.

Without her saying a word, Chen Fanglan could tell from her expression how Shen Xuewei was doing with Chen Fangmin and Shen Jiaying.

No wonder... no wonder she's never mentioned her parents all these years.

The reason this child behaves so well is probably because he was bossed around by his older sister and brother-in-law from a young age.

Having come here, I'm living under someone else's roof, so I can only show my sensible side in hopes of getting everyone's support and attention.

This is like a second second sister, but compared to the dull second sister, she is much more clever.

She gently poked the calluses on Chen Xuewei's palm and asked softly, "Does it hurt?"